Love Me Tender - Please Pt. 01

"Screw her," he said aloud and turning off the porch light and the hall light he went up the stairs to bed.

Ten or fifteen minutes later he watched as headlights swept across the wall of the darkened bedroom. A few minutes later he heard the front door open and then quietly close. He watched through the partially opened door from the bedroom and waited to see of another light would come on but the house remained in darkness.

He hadn't heard her come up the stairs and he was surprised when the bedroom door was pushed slowly open and then carefully closed with just a slight click of the latch. He could barely see her in the light coming in from outside and he watched as she quietly undressed in the darkness.

He heard, rather than saw, her go into the bathroom and the hissing sound of her strong stream of pee gave him a mental picture of what she was doing. There were a few grunts and mutterings as she moved around the bathroom in the darkness and finally he felt her slip into her side of the bed.

Ray remained on his side with his back towards her as she eased herself under the covers and settled down with her back towards him. The smell of alcohol and cigarettes was so strong he was sure it was not only coming from her breath but also from her body and her clothes on the floor. He remained still until her heavy breathing told him she was asleep.

Slipping out of bed he eased himself towards the bathroom and almost tripped over her clothes piled on the floor. His bare foot stepped on something damp and reaching down he felt around and picked up her damp, white skirt. Carrying it into the bathroom he closed the door before turning on the light to discover the front and rear of the skirt were both soaked with liquid that smelled strongly of alcohol.

He found her panties were still inside of her skirt and they too were damp to the touch. He considered what he was doing for a moment but finally gave in and sniffed the crotch of her panties. It smelled of alcohol but there was also the musky scent of an aroused woman.

Jerking the panties away from his face he threw them on the floor along with the skirt and turning off the light he crept back into the bed. Ray's mind whirled for what seemed like hours before he finally lapsed into a troubled sleep. His dreams were filled with him running after someone and not being able to catch them.

Chapter 16

It was barely light outside when Ray awoke on Thursday morning. He opened his eyes and looked into the sleeping face of his wife of almost twenty years. He was not sure he knew her any more. Things had changed in their lives life and as he studied her face he found himself blaming her for the changes.

"Funny," he thought. "She was always so careful about not wearing her makeup to bed but she seems to do it more often than not lately."

At first he blamed it on her working too hard and putting in such long hours. He was now convinced that her increased drinking had something to do with it. Her face hung slack in her sleep with drool coming out of the corner of her mouth. Her breathing was light and steady but her face twitched as if she were dreaming.

He watched as her mouth puckered up and moved in a phantom kissing motion. Her breath smelled like a sewer and he pulled his head back a little to shield his nose from the odor. His little shifting motion must have disturbed her sleep because she snorted and rolled over onto her back with her mouth and tongue moving to try and moisten her dry mouth.

He continued watching and another snort brought her awake with a start. She lay there for a few seconds with her eyes open and he couldn't tell if she was staring at the ceiling or at nothing. Her hand came up to her head as if she was in pain and she rolled back over on her side towards him and found she was looking into his eyes.

Neither one of them said a word. They lay there with their eyes locked. His were accusatory and wondering eyes asking silent questions and not wanting to know the answers. After a moment, Karen's eyes narrowed in defense and he could imagine her mind working to come up with a story about the past night and a new reason for her behavior.

Still no sound crossed the barrier between them. Where there was once love and communication there was now a wall of cynicism and anxiety. He had already made up his mind not to believe whatever she was going to tell him. He could see her brow furrowing as she tried to figure out a way to defuse the anger she could see in his eyes and in his tense body language.

Ray rolled over onto his back and in one motion swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up facing her. His movements had pulled the sheet off of her body and she lay nude to his sight. Her eyes had followed him and she was still looking at him when he turned.

"Take a shower. You stink!" he ordered in a quiet but demanding voice. "And clean up your mess before I vomit."

"Ray, I ... " she started but he interrupted her.

"I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear any of your lies. You've turned into a self-centered, selfish bitch who has conveniently forgotten that she has a husband, children, and a home. It may not be long before you don't have any of them. Maybe that will finally make you happy. I sure as hell can't anymore."

Ray was sitting on the patio with the morning paper and a cup of coffee when she came down to go to work. She was dressed in a light blue jacket and slacks with a ruffled white blouse underneath. Ray looked up as the sound of her high heels clicked on the stone.

To his eyes she was lovelier than ever and he admired her beauty. The feeling of his pride in her swelled up but was suddenly quashed when he focused on her omnipresent brass realty agency ID pins. Those little pieces of metal had somehow come to symbolize her life and of him no longer having a place in it.

She continued walking the few steps towards him.

"Ray, I want to explain what happened and where I was last night," she said in a timid voice.

Ray did not respond but continued staring at her holding the lowered newspaper on his lap.

"No need to explain, Karen. You do what you want or feel that you need to do. I don't care anymore."

"No, Ray. Please listen. They pretended they had a problem to call me in for a little party that they got together to congratulate me for the sale I made. I got caught up in everything and forgot what time it was. That's all. Aren't you happy for me?"

"I thought we celebrated your sale in bed yesterday. Wasn't that enough for you? I can't give you what you need anymore, can I?"

Karen's mouth was moving but no sound came from her throat. She looked like she was going to cry for a second then her face hardened and her eyes narrowed into her mask of defense.

Ray continued before she could speak.

"When did you start smoking again? It's been over fifteen years since your last cigarette. You always have a drink or a glass of wine in your hand and you drink ten times as much as you ever did. My, my you've really gotten into this new life of yours, haven't you?"

He shook the paper to straighten it and raised it up to block his line of sight between he and Karen. Tears formed in his eyes at the sound of her heels clicking on the patio stone as she walked away. She realized that she was not only walking away from him but she was walking away from the children, and probably, away from their marriage.

"He's not being fair," Karen muttered as she climbed into her SUV for her morning commute. "He knows how hard I'm working to make something of myself. He won't support me because he wants me to go back to being a wife, a mother, a housekeeper and a maid. I want my own identity. I want to be Karen Royals, the successful real estate agent."

Sitting at a light in traffic she rearranged the stack of books on the seat next to her and repeated her mantra of late.

"As soon as my classes are over, I can take the test for my license. Maybe we can get back to a more normal life after that."

Karen knew she was rationalizing and kidding herself. Things would never get "back to normal." Last night's party got a little out of hand and she was a little sorry it did. She had enjoyed the little romp with Ray but she was left feeling somehow unsatisfied. Something had been missing and she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Replaying the events of the previous day, she recalled that yesterday's party was really to introduce some of the new office staff from the Garden City office to the main office. The staff transformed the conference room and the office portion of the agency into a nightclub. There were candles on the tables and a CD player that looked like a miniature jukebox.

A lot of the younger agents had been invited and their deep tans made it look like they made all of their sales out on the beach. Many of them were Hispanic since there were many more Spanish speaking clients now. Some of the agents already knew each other and she was surprised to find Trey there.

He spotted her as soon as she walked in the door and came over to her.

Stopping about five feet in front of her he held his hands out with his palms up and said, "Wow!"

She remembered feeling her blush start on her chest and flow upward to her cheeks. She unconsciously straightened her back and puffed out her breasts.

"This is the kind of appreciation that I like and need," she thought to herself.

"I've never seen you with your makeup and regular clothes on," he laughed as he closed the gap between them to give her a welcoming hug.

She accepted his embrace and was conscious of her breasts as they flattened against his rock hard chest. She remembered looking up as a pretty white woman stepped up and put her hand on Trey's arm. He released her and stepped back and took the woman's hand in his.

"This is my wife, Angela," he said. "Angela, this is Karen one of my best clients."

Shaking hands with Angela, she appraised the rather chunky woman and wondered why she was not in shape since her husband was a personal trainer. The subject of Trey's marital status had never come up with the girls on their trips back and forth to the gym. She was a little stunned to find out that he was married. An image of a naked black man on top of this large white woman came to her mind and she quickly banished it.

"You've just had sex with your husband not more than two hours ago," she admonished herself. "Why is everything suddenly about sex?"

Angela told her that she had been an agent with another company but Mike had recruited her to replace some of the agents leaving the office. She laughed and told Karen that she had to work because Trey didn't make enough to support her in the lifestyle to which she would like to become accustomed.

Someone called Angela's name and she turned and excused herself. As soon as she stepped away, Trey took hold of both of Karen's hands in his and surveyed her body. She remembered his strong, dry grip as making her feel close to him.

"You're one of my best clients. If I could make everyone look as beautiful as you I would be a rich man."

Pulling her back into his grasp for another hug his lips touched her ear.

"See you Friday morning," he whispered and her belly fluttered again as she felt his groin pressing against her belly. Her intention was to stay a short while and then go back to Ray but she got caught up in the glow of the congratulatory hugs and kisses. The drinks kept flowing as the word got around about her first sale, even if it was unofficial, and she was not counting.

At some point in the evening someone suggested a Salsa dance contest. A CD was produced and the music started. She, as well as most of the other people at the party, had no idea how to dance the Salsa but there were enough Hispanics there who were willing to teach anybody that wanted to learn.

"Quick, quick, slow. Quick, quick, slow," her instructor said as she learned the basic steps on the small dance floor. There were a dozen or so couples and a lot of laughing and ass and boob grabbing taking place as they stumbled and twirled around each other.

Her foot tapped on the floor of her SUV as she remembered how quickly she had found the rhythm and swayed and pumped her hips in unison with her partner. She did not even know his name but he looked like a Cuban or something.

After a short break and a lot of laughing and kidding around with the group around a table full of drinks, another guy from one of the branch offices asked her to dance. He told her his name but the pulsing, throbbing beat drowned out his voice and she simply allowed him to lead her by the hand to the dance floor.

After just a few seconds, she again found the beat and her body took over on its own. The dancing got more and more heated and his hands touched her shoulders, than her waist and hips. They were about halfway into the number when he began to lightly caress her breasts and ass as they twisted and gyrated around and against each other. Someone turned the lights down so low that they could barely see and the glow from the CD Juke Box and the candles on the tables provided the only illumination.

The music never seemed to stop and her clothes were soaked with sweat and sticking to her body. Her partner arched his body and spreading his legs he offered his thigh and knee to her. Thinking back, she did not remember consciously deciding about what she was doing when she mimicked the moves of the more experienced dancers. She moved closer and spreading her legs, she straddled his knee as their bodies pumped and swayed to the pulsing beat.

For some reason, her thoughts had swirled away from the music for a moment and an image of Ray looking at her dancing like that came before her eyes. A momentary feeling of guilt at what she was doing caused her to miss the beat and she stumbled. Her partner took the opportunity to move in closer to her. Reaching down with both hands he never stopped moving as he held the hem of her skirt and slid it up her legs in time to the music.

He moved in closer with each inch of height he gained and in just a few bars she found herself gyrating and sliding her panty covered crotch up and down his thigh. Her gasp at the contact was drowned out by the music.

Her partner, intently watching her face, saw the change in her and grabbing her hips he jammed his knee up into her pussy. She felt it pressing against her and making no pretense of dancing he practically lifted her off of the floor with his knee in between her legs.

At first she was shocked but that feeling quickly disappeared and she clasped her hands behind his neck to keep her balance. She moved counter to his actions and felt herself growing more and more aroused at their contact. Her panties were stuck to her pussy with her sweat and her lubrication and she could feel the tingling of arousal start down there and spread up through her belly.

An image of Ray flashed again and brought her back to reality for an instant. That instant of sanity allowed her to hear the yells and cheers coming from the audience sitting and standing around the dance floor. Taking her eyes from her partner, she focused on the crowd cheering her and shame and confusion filled her.

Snapping out of her erotic trance, she backed away from him and pulled her skirt down. Turning, she walked away both in embarrassment and in guilt unable to look at her coworkers.

When she got off of the improvised dance floor, she looked up expecting see her friends and coworkers watching her but they had already lost interest in her. She was relieved when she realized that their attention was focused on another couple that was practically copulating on the dance floor.

She found her purse and was about to leave when one of the girls came up to her and slurred into her ear.

"God, that was so hot. I'm going to ask him to dance. OK?"

"Yeah, sure," she remembered being confused at the girl's request.

"Are you sure? You won't be mad?" the girl continued under the assumption that they were a couple and it frightened her that she had allowed it to go as far as it did.

"No, go ahead," she yelled back over the music. "I'm leaving."

The girl reached in to give her a drunken hug and that's when the drink was spilled down the front of her blouse and skirt. When she pulled away she was about to say something but the girl was already gone, too drunk to realize what she had done.

She went into the ladies room and used paper towels to try and absorb the drink from her soaked blouse and skirt. Giving up, she left and climbed into her SUV for the drive home. A moment of reality struck her when she inserted the key into the ignition. It reminded her that she may be over the legal limit for driving but she ignored it and made it home without any problems.

Continuing to think back to the previous night, she remembered knowing that there was going to be hell to pay and big trouble when she got home. As she pulled into the driveway, she knew she was right when she saw that there were no lights on in the house.

After sneaking into the house and crawling into bed she congratulated herself on getting away with it a moment before she fell asleep. It was not until this morning when she turned her head and looked into Ray's angry face that she knew he was angry and deeply disappointed in her.

Her mind came back to the present when she pulled into the parking lot, stopped her car and checked her makeup in the visor mirror. She realized that she was not in the best of mental and emotional shape. She had a splitting headache and her legs hurt from all of the dancing.

She let her thoughts drift to the feelings she got at the party and all of the attention she received. Her hot dance with that gorgeous guy topped off the evening until her guilt popped up and stopped her fun.

Thoughts of Ray flew out of her mind and were replaced by a new feeling of power. Karen was quickly realizing the effect she could have on people and especially on men.

"It sure as hell was fun," she said aloud as she walked from the car towards the office.

She was in her world now and not at home. Any guilt or remorse over what she had done the night before or Ray's attitude towards her was banished from her mind.

"Quick, quick, slow. Quick, quick, slow," she repeated and did a few Salsa steps in the parking lot.

Chapter 17

Karen and Ray barely spoke to each other over the next few days. He bowled on Thursday night and he was at home when she got back from class. After their recent argument, if you could call it that since he was the only one who had said anything, she was trying to make nice and pay more attention to her marriage. He was slowly coming around and she knew that she could get on his good side again.

There was a new problem throwing a hitch into her promise to herself. Mike told her that the agency was sponsoring a trip to an Executive Finishing School for professional women. It was a four-day course on business etiquette, professional fashion sense and general business and professional tips. Only six women from the entire franchise were selected to go and she was one of them.

The problem was that it was being held in Las Vegas. Mike suggested she make a week of it and leave on a Friday and return the next Sunday and he would pay for the extra hotel nights. One of the new agents from the Garden City office would also be attending so they could room together if she wanted to do it.

She knew that Ray would throw a fit if she told him she was going and she did not want their relationship to get any worse than it was. After some careful thought she decided on an approach to soften Ray up before she broke the news to him. He was in the den when she came in carrying her shoes and purse.

"Only two more classes to go," she sighed and kissed him on the forehead. "Next Thursday is the last one then all I have to do is do some review and I'll take the final test in two weeks."